Increasing bow range.


Advice


Short and long bow respectively have a range increment of 70'/110', what ways can this be increased?


The archer fighter archetype allows the fighter to add 5 feet of range to any bow he shoots, increasing I believe in time with when he'd increase his Bravery bonus.

Longshot is a spell that increases it.

The strongest...and perhaps most ridiculous, is to get a +1 Distance weapon. Distance doubles the range of any ranged weapon it's placed on, leading to a coposite longbow having a base range of 220 feet. Add in Farshot, where you only take half the normal penalties for shooting, and a 500 foot shot is at a -2.


Well, composite adds 10ft to their range, though you already have the ranges for composite weapons.

Why do you really need to go beyond this?

Most game areas are not equipped to go to that distance, let alone further. And don't forget that you can fire up to 10X your range increment away (1100ft for a composite longbow).

Regardless, the Distance weapon special ability will double your range. Far Shot reduces the penalties from -2 to -1. What exactly are you trying to accomplish?


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If you take either the Rogue or Slayer Sniper archetypes you can extend the range softcap, the archetype reduces range increment penalties (at lvl 1 to boot). Combine that with Far Shot and you're only taking 1/4th range penalties. (Far Shot reduces penalties by 1 per range increment, Sniper halves all penalties = 0.5 per increment)


I am presently experimenting with non-lethal damage. I have the opportunity to get a pair of Sniper Goggles. It allows Sneak Attack from any range. With various other feats I can do a high amount of non-lethal damage. So, I'm trying to boost the range to a ridiculous distance so I'm too far to be seen and can openly sneak attack any exposed targets.

I read somewhere of an item that allows you to see what an ally sees, so you can do just what I'm attempting to do. Does anyone know what items this is? I'm still searching to find it again.

This might not be the best way to go about taking down a foe, but sporadic arrows coming from seemingly nowhere with the potential to drop a target in a hit or two is the effect I'm going for.


Never mind my last question. I found the item I was looking for. Kinsight Goggles.


For true silliness, have the person wearing the other half of the kinsight goggles mount half a set of ring gates on their shield or breastplate.


^Use a long-range siege weapon instead of a bow together with the Kinsight Goggle trick, and now you've got provision of sight to your siege unit like in StarCraft or WarCraft III.


Leadership -> Invulnerable Rager/ Armor Master, bolt an exit gate to the front of his shield and go to town.

Liberty's Edge

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Distance Composite Longbow is 220' per range increment
Far Shot is -1 (rather than -2) per range increment after the first
Flight Arrows give +20' per range increment, but one size category smaller
Roving Range trait gives +5' per range increment

Beyond that you get in to class specific abilities... though the 'Sniper' archetypes for Rogue and Slayer deserve special mention because of their 1st level 'Accuracy' ability which halves range increment penalties. If your GM allows that to combine with Far Shot then you'd have NO range penalties, or maybe -1 every two range increments.

Put them all together and you're shooting a little over half a mile with little or no penalty... provided you actually have some way of SEEING your target at that distance.

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16

One elegant way to do what you want to do is Expert Sniper + Master Sniper + sniper goggles + Stealth skill unlocks. It's a big investment, but ultimately lets you snipe 2 shots per round with no penalty to your Stealth check.

CBDunkerson rightly notes that any distance that gives your enemies Perception penalties to notice you also gives you penalties to notice them. Boosting Perception and Stealth help you stay on top of that contest.

It's also true that in most games, situations where you can bring long-range options into play are quite rare. Most combat takes place on a map that can fit on a table, limiting ranges to generally within 150 ft. - the second range increment for a longbow. This also means that if it's on the same map as you, you're taking at most a -15 penalty to Perception checks for distance.


There are always exceptions though. In a home campaign I'm in the mercenary group (formed by the players) has an airship. More often than not this airship is on the map... although several hundred feet above it. Range increments become a lot more important when you get into 3d situations. (also I have never used as much trig as in those games).

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16

Nice! We built an airship in my Kingmaker game, crewed by a Medium army of alchemists. Bombs away!

Even so, I have been playing PF since there was a PF and I can count on two hands the number of encounters where I've seen somebody take a range penalty with a composite longbow. It usually happens when someone's taking a last shot or two at a fleeing flying opponent.


CBDunkerson wrote:

Distance Composite Longbow is 220' per range increment

Far Shot is -1 (rather than -2) per range increment after the first
Flight Arrows give +20' per range increment, but one size category smaller
Roving Range trait gives +5' per range increment

Beyond that you get in to class specific abilities... though the 'Sniper' archetypes for Rogue and Slayer deserve special mention because of their 1st level 'Accuracy' ability which halves range increment penalties. If your GM allows that to combine with Far Shot then you'd have NO range penalties, or maybe -1 every two range increments.

A warpriest with air blessing can do that even without the Far Shot feat.


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Charlie Bell wrote:

Nice! We built an airship in my Kingmaker game, crewed by a Medium army of alchemists. Bombs away!

Even so, I have been playing PF since there was a PF and I can count on two hands the number of encounters where I've seen somebody take a range penalty with a composite longbow. It usually happens when someone's taking a last shot or two at a fleeing flying opponent.

Airship... meet volley of flaming arrows aimed at your gasbag.


Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
Airship... meet volley of flaming arrows aimed at your gasbag.

Yeeeeeeaaaaaah, we paid a very confused armorer to make a quilted cloth cover for that thing. Also got some 1/2" thick brass plating for the hull.

All told it lowered our tonnage capacity by like 5 tons, but since our Sorcerer/pilot had a tendency to try to "squish" things with it I think it was well spent.


Take a level of Warpriest with the Air Blessing.

A couple of times per day, you can give yourself 1 minute of time where you take no range penalties to your ranged attacks.


If you're in a mythic game, there's always Limitless Range... but if you're in a mythic campaign shooting someone with a bow from a mile away is far from the craziest thing that you could do.


CBDunkerson wrote:

Distance Composite Longbow is 220' per range increment

Far Shot is -1 (rather than -2) per range increment after the first
Flight Arrows give +20' per range increment, but one size category smaller
Roving Range trait gives +5' per range increment

That seems like it could give you 21 rounds from the most distant possible range until melee range. And that is assuming human with the run feat. 13 for mounted characters on horses.

Almonihah wrote:
If you're in a mythic game, there's always Limitless Range... but if you're in a mythic campaign shooting someone with a bow from a mile away is far from the craziest thing that you could do.

A mile? Cute.

A true mythic character that wants to snipe does it from a galaxy away.


lemeres wrote:
CBDunkerson wrote:

Distance Composite Longbow is 220' per range increment

Far Shot is -1 (rather than -2) per range increment after the first
Flight Arrows give +20' per range increment, but one size category smaller
Roving Range trait gives +5' per range increment

That seems like it could give you 21 rounds from the most distant possible range until melee range. And that is assuming human with the run feat. 13 for mounted characters on horses.

Almonihah wrote:
If you're in a mythic game, there's always Limitless Range... but if you're in a mythic campaign shooting someone with a bow from a mile away is far from the craziest thing that you could do.

A mile? Cute.

A true mythic character that wants to snipe does it from a galaxy away.

... during an earthquake and into a sealed underground vault :p

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